Wareham

Today we decided was a good day for a trip to the beach, so we headed out with our picnic to Studland Bay. By the time we got there the heavens had opened and it was pissing down! Still, we got the dogs out and took them on the beach, it’s a lovely long sandy beach with views of Old Harry rocks and the ships coming and going to Poole Harbour. As we were getting steadily soaked we didn’t stay long and headed back to the car.
We passed Corfe Castle on the way and thought it might be a good idea to stop and have a look on the way back. Parked in the car park and walked round to the entrance, we were already getting wet, as a National Trust property, we could get in free so we decided to go in and look around. We were glad we did, as despite ending up sodden from top to bottom the castle was fascinating, with lots of info boards and some very dramatic scenery. Once we got back to Tonks we vowed to head back to the warm, dry van and stay there. Which we did.

A nicer day today, Phil went on his bike for a ride into Wareham forest (following his nose) and then an on road ride to Bovington Camp where the tank training division is based. 40k in total and back at the van by 9:30! Then we headed into Poole, where we saw the magnificent yachts being churned out of the Sunseeker factory, lots of boats in the various marinas and lots of pubs along the sea front. On the way we saw the cantilever bridge being lifted to let a boat through, and had a little walk to the ferry port, but nothing was going on (no ferries!). Back at Tonks we decided the day wasn’t done and so headed for Arne, a nature reserve on the opposite side of the estuary to Poole. This was a very peaceful place and we had a lovely walk amongst the woodland deer and birds. The view of Poole and the estuary were fantastic, made all the better for the setting sun, we also discovered a lovely sandy beach which was deserted and looked like it belonged on a tropical island (until Princey started digging it up!)..

Woke up at 6 due to a squeaking Smudge. Phil jumped out of bed to shove her out but was too late and she threw up on Prince’s bed! Squeaking again and Linda’s turn to jump up, got her out in time but she did a disappearing act so we both ended up out in the torrential rain looking for her.. Linda found her by one of the vans opposite throwing up in the hedge!
Today was the day of the Sunseeker Rally in the forest, so we got armed up with soup, chairs and an umbrella and headed into the woods. The rally was thoroughly entertaining with all sorts of cars from modern rally cars to Minis, Micras and Defenders!

After the rally we headed into Wareham for a little wander around. We walked along a bit of the Walls Walk, which runs along the top of the old saxon town wall. We also had a little trot along the lovely riverside walk, very quiet with lots of boats to see!

Next we set off for Studland bay again with the plan of walking to the chain ferry and crossing to Sandbanks. We had a lovely walk as it was nice and dry (unlike the last visit on Thursday and we could see across to the Isle of Wight) , we saw a Brittany ferry leaving Poole harbour just as we got to the end of Studland beach which was perfect timing , then took the ferry over to Sandbanks. This was the biggest chain ferry we have been on yet, 90p each return. Had a walk along the beach at Sandbanks and had our picnic under cover on the promenade as it had started to rain a bit. Then we crossed the road at the narrowest point of Sandbanks and walked back through the perimeter street looking at all the lovely houses. Then back on the ferry to Studland and walked back to Tonks in the NT car park.

Drove to Swanage and leaving the dogs in the car for a rest, we trotted to the train station as we had seen steam on our way past, the train was just about to set off to Corfe castle so we waited for it to go and waved it off, then we popped into the Ship pub for a pint and a half of Piddle – nice pint! Then we ambled towards the pier which was closed unfortunately as it closes at 4 so we headed up past it to get a good view of Old Harry across the bay and then headed back to Tonks

Well today we were up early so we could spend our last day here at Lulworth Love, Chesil beach and Portland. We managed to get out at about 10.15 even though Phil was chatting to Julian, our neighbour in a motorhome who is touring with his wife, Carol, for 2 years!… So off we went to Lulworth Cove first, it was lovely, a horse shoe shaped cove made when the sea breached a gap in the jurrassic cliffs and eroded away the cliffs, we had a walk along the small beach then headed up to a view point and then back through the car park, bought farm made ice creams from the shop then on up a very steep wide path to Durdle Door, which we realised we didn’t have time on the parking ticket to walk there and back to so we just took a photo….of the wrong bit! Durdle Door is the rock that looks like an elephants trunk going into the sea and we took a photo of its backside!

Then we set off to Portland and Chesil beach. we walked up the pebble bank to have our picnic over looking the sea. The info boards told us it was formed 6000 years a go and is 17 miles long, 14 metres high at the east end and 7 metre high at the west end, it is amazing to look at. Then we drove onto Portland, stopping at Portland Castle as it was English Heritage but it was closed for winter, so on up the hill to the view point by the Heights hotel, the parking was free here and the view over Chesil beach and Weymouth was great as it was quite high up, quick photo opportunity then back in the car and over to Portland Bill, the lighthouse on the south of the Island, there were loads of beach huts by it but not a lot else, so we had a little walk round then headed back to the van where we found and booked our next site by Lymintgon which looks lovely, off there tomorrow..

On to Axminster (yes, where the carpets come from!)

We had a couple of days left in Salcolme, so first we set off for Bolt Head which is an old RAF radar base on a headland near to our campsite. It was a lovely sunny day when we set off and then we walked through a hailstorm! This soon passed over and the sun returned and we saw some Dartmoor ponies who were very interested in us and a couple had a bit of fuss. Then onto the headland where the view was fantastic.
We then headed to Paignton and onto the red sandy beach with the dogs. The beach was the busiest we have seen so far and there were loads of dogs playing, walked along the beach to the rock pools at the end by the sandy Jurassic cliffs where there was a large pool which we ‘encourgaged’ Prince to jump in (gave him a helpful push!) and he did lots of swimming back and forth, he’s not too keen on swimming in salt water but has a go! Then we walked back to the Pier and had a walk to the end of it, you had to walk through the amusement arcade and it was heaving with people, seemed a very strange place to be on a lovely sunny day!

Then we set off for a look at Torquay, we parked up a hill past the harbour and walked back past a place with huge nets up in the air and when we looked over the wall there were penguins there, it was an attraction called the Living Coast, which looked very impressive from above. We had a mooch around the harbour and looked at all the posh boats , then past the Pavilion which is a lovely ornate building which houses some shops and coffee shops and around the other side of the harbour where we bought an ice cream ( who cares its winter – its sunny!)

Next day we decided to go to Kingsbridge for a little look round. It was a lovely little town with lots of local shops (butchers, bakers, deli) it seems to have been unspoilt so far by any supermarkets, it even has a small cinema on the high street where we spotted a film we liked the look of (Up In The Air – George Clooney) so we bought some tickets for later! We had a little trot around its small harbour before putting the dogs into the car and heading for a little café//restaurant called The Old Bakery which we saw had wifi. When we went in there was no-one around and just as we were wondering about going upstairs a man popped up behind the bar. He turned out to be the owner and asked us what we’d like, we said a pot of tea and some cake and he was very enthusiastic about his home made cake selection (it was justified enthusiasm, yummy). So we had tea, cake and downloaded some tv on his wifi, a highly recommended restaurant! We headed back to the van and stopped on the way at Hope Cove a beautiful little village with a small cove beach, we had a little walk up the coast path to get a better view of the setting sun, and discovered that we could even see the Eddystone lighthouse 18 miles out at sea! Later on we went back to Kingsbridge for the film, we went through to our screen and there was no-one there! So we picked some seats in the middle of the small cinema. Only 2 other couples arrived before the film started, it was a great film and you could even hear the whirr of the reel behind you from the projection box!

The next day we moved on to our next site, Abbey Gate Farm in Axminster. The site itself was great, a hardcore drive and 2 hardstanding pitches which looked relatively new, and a great view from the front of the van! Once pitched we set off for a little saunter into Axminster down the footpaths and lanes, it’s a nice little town with quite a few shops and a large church at its centre.

Next day we went to the Donkey Sanctuary by Sidmouth, the Sanctuary was first opened in 1973 by Dr Elisabeth Svendsen who was left 204 donkeys as part of a legacy, the sanctuary has since nurtured over 12,500 donkeys and currently has over 400 on site. It is a great tourist attraction with a vast area open to walk around in, play area, a café and gift shop. It’s free to get in and they just ask for a donation.

When we arrived we went to see the adopted donkeys before heading out on one of the walks, we stumbled upon a hedgerow maze which we spent a bit of time getting lost in before continuing on our walk around the fields. At this time of the year the donkeys are mainly indoors, but we did see quite a few in their barns, and as we headed back to the centre we were allowed into one of the barns to get a closer look and meet the donkeys face to face. We then headed back to Tonks, on the way back through Sidmouth we stopped for a look around. Nice town with some great local produce (which we sampled) and a pebble beach. We then drove into Beer to have a look around. A lot of the shops seemed to be closed on Mondays, but it has a lovely village centre with a brook running alongside the pavement through the village and down to the sea. The beach is a steep pebble beach and we saw about a dozen fishing boats parked up on the top of the beach, there is also lots of beach huts which we presumed were mainly used by the fishermen. As we walked down the beach to the waters edge the noise was amazing as the sea crashed against the pebbles smashing them up the beach then dragging them down again. On the way back to the car we spotted that The Anchor allowed dogs, so we popped in for a pint, had a very warm welcome from the barman so we sat by the fire and he even brought the dogs some water. We then headed over to Seaton on the way back, where we had a little walk through the town and down to the sea front, over the sea defence onto the pebble beach.

We woke up to heavy rain the next morning and Phil refused to get up! When we finally did we just sat in the van drinking tea for a bit listening to the rain on the roof, Phil decided to stay in the van which was a wise move as he was still happy when Linda got back from Lyme Regis with the dogs, she had given up on trying to get Phil out of the van so went on her own! Lyme Regis was a nice little town with small local shops, the beaches allowed dogs but only on leads so not over good for dogs. Walked to the east beach as the signs said that was ok for dogs but the beach was out of bounds because of a landslide in 2008, so back to the centre and then walked west past the beach huts to The Cobb which is the harbour. Then walked back to Tonks through the Jane Austen gardens.

The next day we decided to move on again, only an hours drive down the road we arrived at a campsite in Wareham forest. We pitched up and then took the dogs for a walk in the forest, Prince got filthy (again!) and the pair of them spotted a deer in the woods and shot off after it. Prince came back pretty quick, but Smudge was on a mission! After a lot of shouting and heart palpitations she finally strolled back, out of breath and looking very pleased with herself. In the forest we also spotted some signs for a car rally which will be passing through on Saturday, so there may be a chance for us to get a free glimpse!

Rainy Devon

Up early today as we’re on the move. Just over a couple of hours drive to next site near Salcombe, Ilton Castle Farm CL where Wendy the owner came out with her sheepdog Kym to greet us, he’s quite old and had a stroke a couple of weeks ago so’s a bit wobbly on his legs, very happy dog though. Wendy told us to pitch anywhere we liked as there’s no one else here, and that the dogs were welcome to run around at the top of the field. It’s a nice big field with a view across the Kingsbridge Estuary to West Charleton

We’ve been for a bimble down the lanes and into Salcolmbe, past some lovely little cottages on the way (one was particularly nice with a thatch roof, wonkey chimney and a thatched owl on the top). We entered Salcolmbe by the estuary had a little look at the shops and had out first ice cream of the year from the shop down the road! Bit more of a wander around and we decided to go to the pub, First one we went in (Kings Head) wasn’t too good, no real ales and there was a chap in there struggling to keep hold of his rotweiller and a staffy-type dog, we smartly left and went into the Inn across the road which also allowed dogs. Much nicer, lots of ales and seats by the fire!

Woke up to rain on the roof the next day. Phil was going riding on Dartmoor, so reluctantly got up at 7am, had breakfast and left. When I got to Burrator Reservoir I followed the MBR route I had programmed into my Garmin, bit of a damp ride, and I saw some miserable back packers who must’ve spent the night up there, a fox wandered past in the track and I saw a lot of army troops on training exercises.
After I got back we had cheese on toast before heading to Dartmouth. We had a stop on the way at Torcross, this amazing little village has the largest freshwater lake in southern England which is only separated from the sea by a long pebble beach and the main road. It had stopped raining now, so we had a walk through the village and along the beach, and saw the Sherman tank which is left on the front there as a monument to those who died there in the war when the allied forces used the area to practice for the Normandy landings. During the practice they were attacked by German U-boats – there was actually more loss of life that day than there was on the day of the real landings.
We continued along the coast road until we arrived in Dartmouth, the view of this large harbour town was spectacular as we descended from the top of the hill into town. We parked on the street and walked down the harbour through the pretty town centre, where we saw the historic lower ferry, when we found out it was only £1 each we had to go on! The car ferry which can take around 6 cars is basically a floating raft which is taken across the river by a tug boat attached by ropes! Once over the other side we walked back up the marina alongside the railway track until we reached the higher ferry. A much larger cable ferry which must be able to take around 24 cars, its design was very similar to the King Harry ferry we went on in Cornwall. 50p each saw us back on the other side and back in Tonks heading home

Next morning our neighbours car got stuck next to their trailer tent and it was Tonks turn to do the rescuing, Tonks pulled the car off backwards with no fuss at all, what a hero!
We then headed out to Plymouth where we then had a walk around the sea front where there was a public beach with an old public bathing area and a Lido, the place was quite derelict but we went down the steps and terraces to the beach where Prince had a bit of a play, and Smudge stood on one of the terraces and watched in disgust. We then headed up to Plymouth Hoe where Smeaton’s Tower is the prominent landmark. This is a lighthouse designed by John Smeaton which stood out on Eddystone rocks (22.5k out to sea south of Plymouth). It stood there for 118 years between 1759 and 1857 and was only dismantled when the rock it was stood on started to show signs of weakness! Phil went up the lighthouse which had 4 little rooms, the store room, then the kitchen/living room then the bedroom and finally the light room, and a very nice view from the top!
We then headed back to the car out of Plymouth, and on to Burgh Island via a quick stop at a large farm shop.

We timed our visit to Burgh island to perfection as the tide was just out enough for us to walk most of the way across and get a good view of the art deco hotel and the Pilchard Inn next door, but because the tide was coming in rapidly we got to see the sea tractor in action, driving across the beach to pick up a guest of the hotel. On the way back to the van we went via the country roads and found a little ‘tidal road’ when the tide is fully in the road becomes impassable! Luckily it wasn’t at that stage and Tonks just had to dip his wheels in!

Next day we went to meet Linda’s friend Marina in Widecombe in the Moor, in Dartmoor. On the way we passed the South Devon chilli farm which makes the delicious chocolate we’ve bought a bit of so we hade to stop and have a look at their shop, bought some chilli and coffee chocolate and jar of chilli relish.
Once we got into the National Park there was snow on the tops of the hills and the roads were a bit slushy but the gritters had been out so no problems. Phil paid £1 for the car park in Widecombe when we actually didn’t have to as its free until April….whoops! We had a little walk round the village which is very pretty and has a National Trust property there which is an old church house which used to be used as a village hall, then back to the car for a quick picnic before Marina arrived.
Met Marina just before 2 and then Phil set off on his bike to do a route and Linda and Marina took the dogs for a walk. It had stopped raining but was very wet everywhere and it was a bit boggy on the moor, we went up to an outcrop of rocks and by the time we got there the cloud had come down and obscured the view, then on the way down there was a bit of snow then the cloud cleared to show Widecombe in the sun! We had a lovely time catching up on all our news and then headed for the pub.
Phil had a similar experience on the bike route, it was very slippy and snowy towards the top so he couldn’t find the right track, so had a play on some of the local downhills before coming to meet us in the pub, which was a large but cosy pub serving real ales, the bar man was having trouble with the real fires and kept filling the place with smoke. Had a couple of drinks then waved Marina off home to Exeter and came back to the van where Phil watched another episode of The Wire (thanks Draper!).

Still in Cornwall!

We decided we would head towards Lands End today, but on the way we stopped off to see Marazion and St Michael’s Mount, we’d both seen it on the TV a few times but as we drove around the corner and saw it for real we both said how big it was! We managed to get a free parking spot on the road alongside the beach, which was lucky given the number of kite surfers there. The tide was in so we couldn’t cross to the mount so we made do with climbing onto the small rock outcrop on this side. We had a little bimble around Marazion before dropping back down to the beach and heading back to Tonks.
We then headed off towards Lands End, hoping we could park a little way off and walk to Lands end on the coastal footpath. This can be done, but not in the time we had as it was about 3 hrs to dusk and there is only 1 road that gets into Lands End, we made do with a drive up to the theme park style entrance and then turned round and headed to the nearby Sennen Cove where we found a great beach from which we could see the lighthouse which sits on the rocks at Lands End. We had a walk along the beach and watched a few surfers, and then up into the dunes where there were still a lot of remnants of war battlements in place (concrete bunkers) in surprisingly good condition.
After a quick stop at the Minack Open Air Theatre we headed home, but on the way we made another stop at St Michaels Mount. We could see in the dusk light that the tide was out further and it looked very pretty against the moonlit sky. We parked up much closer this time and had a trot along the causeway. We weren’t quite brave enough to go all the way as the sea was still washing over part of it, but it was very nice to see it at dusk.

Next day Phil got went biking. A mainly road route of 20k to Truro that followed the national cycle route in and came back on quiet lanes, the ride included a diversion to the pretty Victorian Gardens in Truro. Meanwhile Linda went off on a walk to the pretty Devoran Quay following one of the routes the campsite gave us.
We then headed out to the Seal Sanctuary at Gweek, a lovely little village with a very busy harbour. We were lucky to be visiting off-peak as there were only a few other groups in there and we got to see the feeding of the otters and then the feeding of the seals. It’s a great place to visit as they have a variety of seals of all ages, and the sanctuary is spread over quite a large area so you feel like you are getting real value for money! Linda bought a locally made little pottery seal from the gift shop before we left and headed for Goonhilly Satellite Station (and Goonhilly Downs).

The satellite station turned

out to be closed for winter (who isn’t!) so we went for a short walk on the downs by the parameter fence. Took some photos of the massive satellite dishes before heading onto the moor where the dog got filthy (again). We thought we’d seek out the nearest beach to wash Prince off, which turned out to be Kennack Sands, just down the road from Goonhilly, a very quiet little cove which I imagine is quite the opposite in the summer.

Next day we headed out to Looe, a lovely little town with narrow streets and busy harbour. We had a wander around then headed on to Polperro (as recommended by Tracy), again a lovely little place, narrow streets and a busy little fishing harbour. We had our picnic on the harbour front then walked around the village and found a pub which welcomed dogs, ours met the pub dogs (2 collies, one very friendly and chilled and his sister who was wired and watching a darts player avidly), we had a pint in front of the log fire. On towards Fowey via the ferry which was great, Fowey had tiny streets which we drove Tonks down, but then carried on to St Austell, it wasn’t as nice as the other places we visited, with lots of closed shops and not as much to see. Popped in to the brewery which was unfortunately about to close.

Next day we went for an 8 mile walk from the campsite. We headed towards Trelissick (a National Trust owned property), when we got off the local lanes and onto the National Trust land Princey found a small footbridge to go under as he soaked himself in the stream.. As we carried on and rounded the bend we came across lots of huge ships just sitting in the (relatively) narrow estuary. It was quite a sight and we were confused as to what they were doing there, there were ships from Hamburg, Moldavia and Madeira just moored up on the side of the estuary, we came across a friendly lady who regularly walked in the gardens and she told us that the ships were moored there as a result of the recession and they were just waiting for some sort of recovery in the economy before they moved on, she said they had been there for quite some time. We carried on round the track and came across the floating bridge called the “King Harry Ferry” (named after King Henry VI), we decided to sit on the dock there and have our picnic in the sun while we watched the ferry two-and-fro across the estuary. While we were there a small boat trundled up to us and moored where we were sat, we asked the cap’n what his boat was used for (thinking it was a foot ferry) and he said he was there for the ships crew while they were moored. Turns out the ships had been there for about a year now and were waiting for the recession to end as the business just wasn’t there. There were 2 car transporting ships and 4 container ships moored up in the estuary, and at present he expected them to be there for another year. After this we boarded the ferry as we felt we had to go over for a ride! The ferry is one of only 5 chain ferries in England and has been operating in this spot since 1888. We got a great view of the moored ships on one side and the mussel farm which was on the other. There isn’t a lot to do on foot on the other side, so we hot footed it back on the ferry for the return journey and carried on our walk. We carried on a bit until reaching a little pebble beach where Prince could swim properly. We had a brief look at the house at Trelissick before heading back along the cycle route and lanes to the van.

Next day we went to St Ives, managed to find some on street parking and walked down to the harbour through lovely narrow streets and had our picnic sat on a rock on the beach in the sun. Then had a bimble through the town and back to Tonks happy to have had a quiet, relaxing day!

We have now moved on to a beautiful little site near Salcolme on the Devon coast.